Alternating Realities
by elliedee96
Summary: What if Sylar came into contact with a man who had the ability to see alternate realities? How would it effect his and everyone elses lives. Set after Volume 3: Villians and before Volume 4: Fugitives. Contains Sylair
1. Chapter 1

**Disclaimer: ****I don't own Heroes in any way.**

**Okay, know that is out the way, I should start by saying that this is my first Fan Fiction that I've ever written, I normally just stick to writing my own stories, but, I had a small writers block and so I started this. This fiction is set after the Primatech fire in the last episode of _Volume 3: Villains_ but before _Volume 4: Fugitives_. Please comment and enjoy.**

Sylar had been stalking his pray for quite sometime. His latest victim; a middle-aged billionaire who won his millions on the stock market. _'What a way to waste such a magnificent gift' _Sylar thought to himself. The ability to see alternate realities and their outcomes didn't seem like much but would defiantly come in handy next time he was on the prowl for a new power, he could simply close his eyes and see which reality, and in turn which path to take, would lead him to victory. Now, the time had come.

Adam stood, immobilized, in front of him. With a flick of the hand Sylar started to slash through his skull. _'there's nothing like that feeling'_he thought,_'seeing the fear of certain death in their eyes, it's almost... Erotic'_. A grin emerged on Sylar's lips as the scent of blood filled the air, _'nothing quite like that smell to lift your spirits'_ he closed his eyes to better appreciate it, "better than homemade pie" he mused out loud

Once he found what he was looking for, he stood and wiped his hands on the deceased's shirt. "Right" he announced to himself, "where to go next". Sylar snapped his eyes closed, attempting to see possible futures, an image rushed into his mind, but it was blurred and didn't last, this would take some practice.

[] [] []

"Hello, mother" Sylar slurred, making Angela Petrelli jump and spin around to look at the dark minded man standing in her front living room. "Oh, right. I almost forgot, you and dear, dead daddy lied about that little piece of news. I never did get the chance to fully thank you" Sylar stepped forward. "How about a chat?" He flicked his fingers her way and slammed her backwards and into a chair.

"I was just going to leave and talk to my father... or adoptive father. But, then I ran into a man, a man with a miraculous ability to see alternate realities. And do you want to know the first thing I saw when I used it? _Your_ face.. And I wondered, why would that be? Do you have _any_ ideas?"

"I told you all I know about your family!" There was a slight tingle on the back of Sylar's neck.

"Hmm... My abilities don't seem to believe you. And they're _never_ wrong, not since that woman..." '_what was her name?'_ he wondered, _'Sue? Yes'_ "Sue Landers, the human lie detector." Angela glared at him through unblinking eyes. "I could make you tell me" he sighed, lifting a hand as if to prove a point, "I can be quite persuasive"

"You don't want to know"

"Oh, I'm certain that I do"

Something shifted in her eyes. "Don't you ever wonder how the world would be if no-one had powers?"

"Why would I bother myself with thoughts of such a pitiful existence?" He scoffed. A dark blur blew past him, creating a wind as it went and suddenly she was gone.

[] [] []

Peter Petrelli, who currently has Daphne Millbrook's power of enhanced speed, was able to rescue his mother from the deranged serial killer. He'd ran with her until his childhood home was far out of sight.

"Mum, Mum" he repeated "are you okay? Did he hurt you?" Angela Petrelli was once again refusing to admit that she was scared, determined to stay strong.

"Thank you, son" she whispered "I'm fine"

"But you almost weren't" he finished, looking back in the direction that he came from._'One touch and I can take his power, it'll be an even fight'_Peter pondered.

"I know that face, Peter!" She warned. "Don't you _dare_ go back there"

"If... If you hadn't been able to dial me without him realising... If I hadn't picked up... If I didn't have the ability to get to you so fast"

"But I did, you did" She lifted her hand to his chin and forced him to look at her "don't go back, Peter. He'll be waiting for you to do that. You won't be able to take him by surprise"

[] [] []

Angela's words raced around Sylar's head _'don't you ever wonder how the world would be if no-one had powers?'_ What a ridiculous thing to say, obviously she was trying to bide time, but, why choose that subject? There was a meaning to every word that came of her mouth, but what could this have possibly meant? Suddenly, his head was spinning, black spots appeared in his vision, more and more, until he saw nothing but darkness.

He opened his eyes, emerging from the uncomfortable nightmare. Heart racing, he turned the lights on, staring into his small watch makers apartment, waiting for the boogieman to jump out at him from the mirror. But, all he saw was himself. He breathed a sigh of relief and lay back on his bed rubbing at his forehead and laughed at himself "just a dream" he began and laughed again "imagine it, me, Gabriel Gray, a serial killer. How ridiculous."

**TO BE CONTINUED...**


	2. Chapter 2

**Here it is, my second chapter. This one is _much_ longer than the first and is my idea of what would have happened to the characters (mainly Sylar and Claire with the odd additional character thrown in) if no-one had ever got their powers. I found it quite tough to get it finished and uploaded within a week and so I won't be doing chapters this long again but they should still be longer than my first one. **

**I'm sorry for anyone who's looking for action but this chapter doesn't contain any, but has an important story line for the rest of the chapters, which hopefully will contain more action. Please review and enjoy.**

Gabriel was too disturbed by his nightmare to get back to sleep, every time he closed his eyes, images of dead bodies filled his sight. He went down from his small apartment into his watch restoration shop below it to work on an old Grandfather clock. He continually took off his glasses to rub at his eyes, attempting to stay alert. The sun began to rise outside he didn't notice. Eventually, a tapping on the door broke his concentration.

"Hello?" a small female voice called from outside "Mr Gray? We have an appointment" Gabriel sprung from his seat, he'd completely forgotten. He rushed to open the door and gazed at the young stranger in front of him. She was young, slim and petite with long blonde hair that reached her stomach, a storm of brown eyes and the features of an angel. He stared at her for a moment before ducking his head in shame.

"Sorry, I... um... I lost track of time"

"Ironic, considering where you work" she replied with a smile.

"Yes, I guess so" he cleared his throat, "please, come in." Gabriel didn't dare look the beautiful stranger in the eyes again, fearing that he would get lost in them. "Miss Petrelli, is it?"

"Claire" she smiled and shook his hand.

"Right" he mumbled, still avoiding her eyes. "What can I do for you?"

"I'm looking to get a watch repaired" she stated, while searching her bag and bringing out a small square blue box. "My Uncle recommended you." He made a gesture as if to say _'may I?'_ and she handed it to him. "It used to belong to my Grandfather, it stopped working years ago"

"Hmm" Gabriel murmured while examining the time piece. Watches he could do, it's fascinatingly beautiful woman that confused him, scared him even. "It's quite an old piece" he said after a small delay, "quite rare as well... It probably just needs the cogs changing... But I don't stock the right make; I'll have to order them"

"Will it be ready by Friday?"

"I don't see why not... My Uncle has a shop in Baltimore that will probably have them in stock."

Claire breathed a sigh of relief, "good, it's for my Dad you see, he's celebrating a... Um... Promotion on Friday" Gabriel smiled at her, momentarily forgetting the way her eyes made his legs feel weak. "Thank you, Mr. Gray"

"Gabriel" he said, "call me Gabriel." She nodded and smiled, her eyes glistening, before she left and he sank back into his chair. He wanted to ask her out, but he was too shy and she was younger than him, by quite a few years _'she might not even be a legal age' _he thought to himself _'and here you are... drawling over her. Pathetic.' _

[] [] []

"Gabriel?" a familiar voice calls. "You here?" Isaac Mendez steps into the small watch shop and Gabriel goes to greet him. "How was your father's funeral?" he asks sincerely, getting to the point.

"It was fine. I'm not really sure why I went to be honest"

"He was you Dad"

"Yeah, my Dad who I haven't seen in twenty years since he ditched me and my Mum..." Isaac smiled politely, dropping the subject.

"Come on, let's grab some dinner, catch up a bit. There's this new Italian that's opened around the corner..." Gabriel looked back to his workbench and saw Claire watch, his Uncle didn't stock the right material he needed either so he'd been on the phone all morning trying to find the right cogs. He wasn't having much luck.

"I, um... I should probably stay here." Gabriel replied, turning back to face him "I have a lot of work to do"

"What's she like?" Isaac asked, Gabriel stared at him questioningly. "You always have that same daydreamer look when you've met someone." He waited for a response and then sighed "I'll call takeout."

"So?" He asked once he got off the phone, "tell me about her, what's she do?"

"I... um... I'm not sure"

"How old is she?" Gabriel just shrugged, "her hobbies?" There was no reply. "Okay, something easy then... What's her name?"

"Claire Petrelli"

"What did you talk about?"

"Her watch"

"Oh, I see. So, instead of her smile, her personality, her laugh... you like her because of her... Watch..?"

"That's not true..." Gabriel began, thinking of her deep brown eyes. Isaac looked like he was ready to argue his point, but then stopped himself.

"Did you say... _Petrelli_? Is she related to the soon to be Senator 'Nathan Petrelli'?" Gabriel blanked "Do you know _anything_ about this woman?" he mumbled and turned to the computer next to him "here... Google her, his campaign was based of family values, so if they're related then there'll be a picture of her somewhere" Isaac continued while Gabriel reluctantly obeyed. They came across a photo taken a few months ago, of the Senator, his two sons, his wife and Claire... his daughter. The caption told him her age... 19. She was twelve years younger than him.

[] [] []

Claire came back early Friday morning to pick up the watch and was greeted by a slightly nervous Gabriel. Isaac had convinced him to find out more about her but every time he opened his mouth to ask a question, his heart jumped into his throat and he was plagued with doubts. Thankfully, Claire wasn't so shy.

"So, you own this shop?" she asked while he was writing up a receipt for her, which he had purposely left until she was there to give them more time to talk.

"Um, yeah, I bought it last year"

"That's good. I'd love to be my own boss... You said your Uncle owns a shop, did he get you into watch repair?"

"Yeah, erm... I started working in his shop when I was a kid, after my Dad left..." suddenly he had the feeling that he'd over shared, his face turned hot and he ducked down in an attempt to hide "Um... What do you do for a living?"

"For now I'm a secretary for my Dad. I'm waiting to finish education before starting a real job"

"Your Dad?" He murmured. "Nathan Petrelli?" He caught a glimpse of Claire's reflection in a mirror, she looked disappointed, maybe she didn't want anyone to know.

"Yeah" she answered, Gabriel had finished writing up the receipt and handed it to her along with the watch. She gave him the money and turned to leave. He wanted to ask her out but his words got stuck in his throat. "Actually" she began, "this thing for my Dad, it's to celebrate him becoming Senator... Do you want to come?" He smiled and agreed so she wrote the address and time on a piece of paper, "I'll see you there" then she left.

[] [] []

_'Okay, breath'_ Gabriel thought to himself as he arrived at the Petrelli house and spotted Claire with her family, she wore a long blue dress which complimented her figure perfectly, her golden hair trailing down her back, _'be yourself'_. But, he didn't feel like himself, he rubbed underneath his shirt collar, not used to wearing a suit. He started to walk towards Claire before realising that he had nothing to say when he got there, _'I shouldn't have come._' His heart began to race as he looked for an exit, she hadn't noticed him and he probably would never see her again anyway, if he did then he could say he had a last minute emergency to take care of. Just as he'd made up his mind to leave, she looked his way a waved, leaving her family to greet him.

"You made it" she said through a broad smile.

"Yeah, wouldn't dream of missing it" it wasn't until he's already spoke that he realised it was true, not that he cared about Nathan Petrelli or politics, but he cared about Claire.

"Well, you clean up nice" she said, smiling. A man appeared to his right before either of them could say anything else. He looked familiar but it took Gabriel a moment to place him, probably a moment too long. It was Nathan Petrelli.

"Excuse me" Nathan said to him, "thanks for coming, but I'd just like to talk to my daughter for a moment" her father took Claire by the arm and led her away. She started to look angry as he talked, after a few minutes she walked back towards Gabriel, who had acquired a drink of champagne.

"You all right?" He asked, "It looked like you were arguing." She smiled.

"When aren't we arguing? He's my Dad, it's what we do." Claire rested her hand on Gabriel's, looking at his glass, which she took out of his hand and rested it on a nearby table "why don't we get us an actual drink." It wasn't a question, more of an order. She led him out of the main room and into a study, still holding his hand before dropping it to pour them drinks of whisky and after two or three Gabriel became more confident, taking her hand and dancing to the music that was still audible through the walls. The song finished but neither moved away, preserving that perfect moment for a few seconds longer. Claire brought her hands up to his face and he leant down to kiss her, something he had been dreaming about doing for days.

[] [] []

It was a warm and windy July in New York and Gabriel and Claire had been dating for nearly a year when she used the key he gave her for the first time and burst into his apartment, crying. He saw her instantly and rushed to see what was wrong, but she just collapsed into his arms and sobbed. He led her to his sofa and brought her a cup of hot chocolate, this wasn't the first time this had happened and Gabriel knew that she didn't want to talk, she just wanted some comfort, for now at least. Claire and her Dad were constantly arguing and it drove her mad, at first she would tell Gabriel that the reason they argued was because of things like college, drinking and her friends, and it was the truth... except, she would continuously miss out one key factor... him.

Nathan didn't like him and he wasn't surprised, who would want their 19 year old daughter dating a 31 year old man. The college arguments were about how he was distracting her from her studies, the drinking was about how he thought Gabriel was encouraging her to drink (which he wasn't, that night at the Petrelli's house was a one off, he'd never actually thought about how she wasn't old enough until afterwards), the friends that Nathan didn't like... They were him. And it wasn't just arguing; he'd be constantly looking for a way to manipulate her into braking things off. Once, it almost worked, it was near the beginning of their relationship, at a point where they were just _'having fun,'_ he had told her that Gabriel was at the age where he was looking for a serious relationship, that it was cruel to just string him along. That one had made her think, she went to dinner that night intending to break up with him... But she couldn't do it, realising at the last moment that she wanted a serious relationship too and it ended up bringing them closer. It took Gabriel personally overhearing an argument to realise what they were really about, it hadn't crossed his mind before because she acted so grown up. But since that day, every time she rushed in crying was like he was getting kicked in the ribs, he was the cause of this pain...

However, Nathan's feelings towards Gabriel weren't always shared with the rest of Claire's family. Her Uncle Peter, who had practically introduced them by recommending his shop, was wary at first until he realised that they made each other happy, and since then has done a lot to help Gabriel get on Nathan's good side. Gabriel had only met her Mum once after Nathan, her ex-husband, had called her to have her talk sense into Claire, but after the initial scepticism, had greeted him with open arms. With two of the most important people in Claire's life on her side, Nathan was left only with his mother and his wife, Heidi.

It took Claire a long time to settle down after crying and when she finally did, she didn't say much but Gabriel didn't push the subject. They turned on the TV and flicked through the many channels, but it was mid-day and there was nothing on but re-runs. Claire sighed and unwrapped herself from Gabriel to look at him in the eyes.

"Let's go away together" she said, her brown eyes sparkling. He opened his mouth to speak but she stopped him "we could go tomorrow, see the world" she continued, placing her hands on his chest, "experience new cultures, new food" her hands slid upwards and around his neck. "We could forget about New York, just say hell to it all and leave it behind."

"Is this because of your argument with your Dad?" He finally asked. She sighed.

"No... I mean... A bit" he looked at her knowingly and she shook her head, "but, no. We always said we wanted to see Europe, like my Mum is, we said that we'd go one day..."

"Yeah, we did... After you finished college and we had some money saved and-"

"And I'm saying, why wait. There's nothing real keeping us here, I can take a few years out of college, you can leave your shop in the hands of the manager, I've got enough money to keep us in cheap motels and we can work in crappy diners as we go..." Her eyes began to light up, full of optimism, and Gabriel couldn't resist. He eventually agreed, laughing to himself at how she can talk him into anything, and the next day they were on a plane to Greece, ready to start their lives.

[] [] []

It was early morning and Claire was fast asleep, Gabriel looked at her, watched the steady rise and fall of her chest, her slight smile, her hair like the golden threads of Fate. They'd been to Paris, Rome, Hong Kong, Sydney, Venice... Some of the most beautiful cities in the world... but none of them could hold a candle to Claire. He smiled, not fully believing that she was his. Trying not to wake her, he sat up and slowly left their bed. After 2 years travelling the world they finally made it back to America and today was their last day in Texas. They had come across a jewellery store the day before which Claire adored and he figured that was the shop to buy her ring. Gabriel picked up a fresh pair of clothes and rushed to get changed before checking the money in his wallet and leaving their hotel room. Hopefully, he could get to the shop and back before Claire woke.

[] [] []

Gabriel had decided to surprise Claire with a fancy dinner at an Italian restaurant. She looked him in the eyes and smiled, thinking about how sweet he was, not yet knowing that the dinner wasn't going to be the only surprise of the night. After dinner they decided against taking a taxi back to the hotel, favouring a walk in the warm summer evening. Gabriel took her in his arm and whispered in her ear.

"Marry me?" He said, taking her by surprise. He knelt down on one knee and took out the small black box from his trouser pocket.

"Yes!" she smiled, without taking her eyes off his. Gabriel smiled in return, glad that he didn't have to say the soppy speech that he'd prepared. Then he stood back up and opened the box, taking out the ring and slipping it onto her delicate finger. The band was yellow gold and contained one diamond with 2 slightly smaller blue sapphires each side of it.

[] [] []

_(3 months later)_

Peter Petrelli was just waking up on Sunday morning when his phone began to ring; he rubbed his eyes removing any additional sleep and lifted his mobile to his ear. There was a rush of noise screaming through and an excited voice shouting out at him. He resisted the urge to remove it from his ear in shock when he recognised the voice on the other end, it was Claire.

"Peter!" she laughed. "You need to get to Vegas, right now!" For a moment Peter was worried, what had happened that made her in such a hurry. "We've found a chapel... We're getting married today!"

[] [] []

Claire stood outside the Casino, waiting for her Uncle to arrive, with her fiancé watching her in the distance. She had told him that it was bad luck to see the bride before the wedding but he was resistant to leave her alone in a strange city and insisted that the rule only mattered if she was wearing her wedding dress. She looked down at what she was wearing, the best thing that she had in her suit case, a knee length white skirt with blue flowers on and a white tank top… not the most traditional of outfits. So, she had agreed to let him stay, as long as he wasn't too close. A yellow taxi pulled up next to Claire and she smiled as Peter stepped out, he was holding a white box and handed it to her.

"A little gift from your Mum" he said, she looked at the light pink label and read the words '_something borrowed'_ she smiled and pulled at the ribbon, inside was her Mother's wedding dress. She remembered seeing it when she was a little girl, hanging in her Mum's closet, a simple slim fitting white silk dress with gathering around the waist. It was amazing.

"How did you know?" she asked shocked, she had only ever told one person how much she loved it.

"It was Gabriel's idea" he smiled. She turned around to find him but he'd already left to go to the chapel.

Claire returned to her room with Peter following her. She rushed to get changed, knowing that Gabriel was waiting and when she thought she was ready she left the bathroom and went to see Peter's approval, he smiled.

"I don't know… Something's not right" he stated, making Claire worry, he picked up a small box from the nightstand and opened it, taking out a delicate white gold bracelet and fastened it around her wrist "I figured this could be your '_something new.'_ It's from that jewellery shop back in Texas that you love"

"How did you..?" she began before smiling "Gabriel?" He nodded and she looked at herself in the mirror, her golden hair trailed down her back, her locket around her neck, containing a picture of her and Gabriel on their first date being her '_something old,'_ her bracelet her '_something new,'_ her Mother's dress her '_something borrowed'_ and the jewels surrounding the diamond on her ring being her '_something blue.' _She was ready.

The hotel had supplied them with a room that was just down the hall from the chapel and as Peter led Claire towards it, she started to get cold feet. _She was 22... only 22... and she was going to get married? Had she really already found her soul mate so young? Wasn't it meant to involve more searching than this? What if it's a mistake?_ But then the doors to the chapel opened and she heard the music playing, she looked inside and saw Gabriel smiling at her and she knew that it was right. Peter lead her down the isle and gave her away to her soon-to-be husband.

[] [] []

Gabriel sighed, taking in Claire's scent, the scent he had become so accustomed to after 50 years of marriage. It was their anniversary and their children and grandchildren were all sitting with them around a table, in the restaurant that they'd had their first date in. From the corner of his eye he saw Claire clutch her locket, the one that contained their picture. So much had changed over the years, but not them, they had always felt this way. Well, yes, they'd had their fair share of arguments, especially after their first daughter was born, what couple hasn't? But they had always been in love.

His children were all named after important people in their lives. His first daughter Amanda had been named after Claire best friend who survived cancer, their son Matthew was named after the doctor who had delivered him, Samantha was named after Gabriel's Mother and Peter was obviously named after Claire's late Uncle (who died months before his birth as a first responder at the site of a car crash). Gabriel looked now at his wife on his arm and his four children, all grown up with families of their own and he smiled, _this is how life was meant to be..._

[] [] []

Sylar popped back into reality just as swiftly as he'd popped out. While blinking, he realised his newly acquired power had shown him an alternate reality, one where powers never existed. He checked the time to find that only a few moments had past since he'd left the Petrelli house. With weak legs and his head spinning, he set off to find his cheerleader.

**TO BE CONTINUED... **


	3. Chapter 3

**Thank you to everyone who has reviewed this fiction, I'm so happy to read comments. Now, some of this dialogue will be familiar, I figured that since it was a similar conversation they were having - only it's a little ahead of when it happened in the show - that their reactions would be pretty similar as well. Please review and enjoy. **

Claire was home alone, her Dad was at work and her Mother had roped Lyle into going with her and Mr Muggles to a grooming show. She was looking forward to the quite night in, curled up on the sofa with a bowl of popcorn, a hot chocolate and an old film. She opened the fridge to get the milk, not knowing that the monster from her nightmares was but a foot away. Sylar had been watching her for several minutes without her knowing, using an invisibility power that he'd _picked up_ from a young blonde girl. A smirk crept onto his face as Claire leant down and he remembered all the things he had done to her body in the alternate reality. The microwave _'binged'_ to announce that the popcorn was ready, Claire turned around to retrieve it when her eyes met his and she gasped, dropping the open milk bottle with a thud on the floor. He was shocked that she saw him but didn't let it show, quickly adjusting to the situation, _'must have lost concentration when I was daydreaming'_ Sylar mused to himself.

"Hello, cheerleader" he pronounced with the smirk now firmly embedded on his face. Claire took a step back, wide eyes staring into his. She gently shook her head.

"No" she whispered, "not again." She leant on the side next to her, sidestepping away from the fridge. Without taking her eyes off his, Claire grabbed a knife from behind her and plunged it into Sylar chest, hoping to buy herself a few minutes to get away. Sylar looked down, shocked, as Claire made a run for the door. Instinctively, he used his telekinesis to keep it closed. Claire struggled for a few seconds to get it open before she heard the clang of the knife drop to the floor.

"Claire" Sylar called "your popcorn's going to get cold." The words were a simple statement but were delivered with his normal taunting tone that sent shivers down Claire's spine. She didn't turn around, she just ran, trying to find a way out, a place to hide. "Haven't we done this once before" he laughed, strolling slowly around her house, "the running. The hiding." he listened intently with his, barely used, enhanced hearing ability. "In fact, if I recall... I believe you even stabbed me in the chest" he laughed once more, and heard her shudder "funny, isn't it... how life repeats itself." He leaned against a wall in the living room and slowly disappeared, using his invisibility to mould into his surroundings.

After a few minutes, Claire tiptoed back into the living room holding a gun. She stuck to the sides and carefully scanned the area, every now and then taking a step closer to the front door, planning to shoot at it until there was nothing left for Sylar to keep closed. Before she got there Sylar used his telekinesis to pull the gun out of her hands and throw it across the room, she flipped her head around, looking for him and backing her self up against the wall. He heard her emotions, her fear, from her racing heart beat. Suddenly, he was struck with regret and guilt from making her feel this way. Sylar emerged in front of her eyes, only a few feet away. Her heart picked up pace.

"Its okay" he rushed to say the words, to calm her down, holding up his hands in a peaceful manner. "I'm not going to hurt you." His words lacked his normal menacing tone and actually sounded sincere. Claire scoffed at him.

"Is that supposed to be _funny_?" She glared at him, "you're not going to _hurt_ me because I can't feel _pain_?" Sylar heard the slight change in her heart beat, changing from fear to anger. Anger was good, anger he could work with, after all there is a _'thin line between love and hate'._ He sighed, his smirk returning.

"You're being difficult"

"You're _damn_ right I am... You come into my home... You _harass_ me... I'm not going to let you get away with this!" Sylar tilted his head in a slight nod.

"Okay, true. But in my defence... I didn't mean to harass you" part of him wondered why he was telling her the truth. "You were never meant to see me, I slipped up, it was simply an automatic response." She looked at him with disbelief and his smirk grew, "even I slip up occasionally..."

"And I'm supposed to _believe_ you?" She asked with venom in her eyes.

"Don't worry... I'm not going to make the same mistake twice" Sylar heard her gasp, _'hmm, probably not the best thing to say'_ he thought to himself_ 'she was just beginning to settle down...'_

"You're not coming back?" Claire had meant it as a statement, strong and clear... But it came out as more of a whispered question.

"Well, in that case... I should do what I need to now so that I don't _have_ to return..." her rapid heart beat was becoming a distraction, he didn't want her to fear him but didn't know how to stop himself, so he chose denial and switched off his enhanced hearing. He took a step closer to her and reached out his hand, wiping the hair from her eyes, she stayed perfectly still. "We should go out sometime." She scoffed at him.

"That will _never_ happen" their eyes met.

"Don't be so sure... We're immortal, everyone else will die, but not us, papa Petrelli, momma Bennet, _Mr Muggles_... What's your brothers name again? Larry?"

"_Lyle_" venom filled her words.

"Lyle, right. He's gonna die too" he looked at her smugly. "Have you ever stopped to think how much we have in common Claire? You were adopted, I was adopted... _You_ can't die, I can't die".

"Oh, you can die... I'll make sure of it" Sylar smirked at her, trying not to show that there was a sting to her words.

"We're immortal, Claire. We'll live for ever, unchanged while everyone else ages and dies. After a few years you'll get bored trying to 'off' me. Eventually, you'll have to forgive me"

"I'll never stop trying to kill you" she replied with tight lips.

"Well, every body needs a hobby" his eyes wandered to her lips and he dropped his sarcastic tone. "I'm trying to change, Claire. I'm not killing anymore..." Despite her hatred of the man in front of her, Claire was intrigued, but she pushed it back. He was evil, this was probably a trick. She shook her head slightly and Sylar managed to move his eyes back to hers, she thought she saw hurt in them.

"_You're_ trying to change?" she mocked. "Ridiculous."

"You don't think I'm capable of it" He intended it as a question laced with sarcasm, but it came out as more of a sad statement. Claire looked pointedly at his hands.

"How longs it been since you last killed someone?" her words were dripping with accusation, he looked down and saw a - not too small - splash of dried blood that didn't match the fresh blood on his shirt from where she'd stabbed him. For a moment he considered saying he'd cut himself earlier and hadn't washed it off yet... but he didn't want to lie.

"It seemed like a lifetime ago" he mumbled to himself, suddenly realising that it had only been a couple of hours. "I... I can be different... I _am_ different." Claire resisted the urge to spit at him, knowing that it wasn't exactly wise to anger a murderer. "I can prove it" he whispered, taking her head in his hand he began to lean into her, for a sickening moment she though he was going to kiss her, but instead he leaned his forehead against hers. Claire froze, not sure what to do. A few seconds past before he was able to push the vision of the alternate reality into her mind.

Awareness drained from Claire's eyes as they delicately shut. But, Sylar didn't notice. His eyes were tightly closed in concentration, trying to push the reality into her mind, something that he didn't know he could do until a few seconds ago when his intuitive aptitude figured it out for him. He wasn't sure how he hadn't known before; he took abilities, it only made sense that he could give them to others... not that he had ever felt a need to in the past.

He could feel it working, but her mind was trying to fight it off and it began to drain him slightly, make him feel weak. Eventually, the last of the defences in Claire's mind that he was struggling against collapsed and he saw how to, not just temporarily but permanently, give her the ability. He considered it for a moment before deciding to wait for her to wake and choose for herself. Part of him hoped she would say yes to a new ability; because, even though she had a great amount less power than he did, he considered her his equal and was overcome with a need to give her whatever she wanted. He stayed like that, still pushing the reality into Claire's mind, only now it was less of a struggle and his energy returned.

He felt her body shake and heard her gasp as she began to wake. Sylar lent backwards, moving away from her before she had the chance to push him away. But she didn't want him to move, instead she grabbed his head and pulled his mouth to hers in a furious kiss. He was shocked and part of him realised that he should stop before it got serious, but he wasn't thinking straight, his mind was clouded with thoughts of Claire. Of her petite body, her golden locks of hair, her deep brown eyes. He placed his hands on her hips, their lips moving together.

Sylar teased her mouth open with his own and their tongues brushed, letting out a small moan as she trembled in his arms. He slid a hand down her thigh and under her dress, running his palm up the front of her leg with his thumb brushing the inside.

"Ahhhhh!" she moaned as his cold hand moved to the warm flesh just below her panties, she angled her hips forward. He rubbed his thumb against her for a moment, smirking at her reaction before moving his hand up around to her lower back and pulling their bodies against each other. She smiled beneath their mouths, reaching down and unbuttoning his shirt, working her way slowly down his front and resting her hand on his lower stomach above his belt, teasing him just as he had done to her. He telekinetically unzipped her dress and brushed his hands against her body as he slid it up over her head and flung it on the floor behind them.

Their eyes met, both filled with the hunger to be closer to one another. Their lower abdomens tingled furiously, not to be ignored any longer. Sylar guided her body backwards and pushed her against the hard wall and their hips moved against each others bodies, grinding. He closed his eyes and titled his head, loving the feeling of intimacy, he was barely aware of a light thud of fabric on the floor and he looked at Claire to see she had removed her bra. She let him have a moment to appreciate her body before grabbing his hair and pulling him as close as possible, the bare flesh on their chests rubbing, their sweat merging together. Sylar could feel her rapid heart beat filled with lust so close to his own. His hardness was against her stomach and Claire laughed through her panting. She slid her hand down between them and delicately traced over the bulge in his pants.

"Mmmm!" he groaned through tight lips, and she rubbed harder against him. "Don't be so cruel" he whispered into her ear before pressing their mouths together in lust. So she moved her hand to his belt instead and began to unfasten it, he stopped grinding momentarily so she could get it off quicker and yank them down to his ankles, where he then kicked them and his shoes off as fast as he could.

He grabbed her hips again and picked her up slightly so she could wrap her legs around his waist and her arms around his neck. He left one hand on her bottom while placing the other one on the wall next to her head, their grinding quickened. Claire trembled.

"Please" she groaned into his shoulder. "Now! Take me now!" He wrapped her in his arms and carried her to the coffee table, placing her body, that was writhing with heat and sweat, on the cold wood. She tore off her panties and spread her legs, he knelt in-between then as she grabbed at his boxers, hastily trying to rip them off as well. He was seconds away from claiming her body, her virginity when the image of the last time he lay her on this table flashed through his mind. A time not too long ago when he'd terrorised her and taken her ability for himself. He tried to push it out of his mind but couldn't get rid of the image of her lying covered in blood with her brain exposed.

This wasn't right. Yes, she wanted him now, but her mind was clouded with memories from an alternate reality, how would she feel in an hours time? If he took advantage of the situation then he could ruin any chance of a future with her. She groaned in protest as he pulled away.

"Wait." she said through panted breaths. "Where are you going?" He turned to pick up her dress and sent it towards her using his telekinesis while pulling on his trousers from the floor and buttoning up his shirt. "Gabriel?" She called to him and he knew what he was doing was right. She wasn't in the right state of mind. He turned around to face her, she had refused to get dressed with her clothes thrown off to the side of the room. She was standing close behind him, looking confused and hurt. He didn't want her to be upset, so he hugged her, taking a deep breath and inhaling her smell.

"You're not thinking right, my love." He whispered into her ear "I'm not going to take advantage of you." She was about to argue but he cut her off before any words had formed "I'm leaving now, before I do something we'll regret." He stepped away from her and turned to leave, trying desperately not to look at her naked form in front of him. He stopped at the door, not turning around to look at her. "I'd like to see you again... to _talk_... Tomorrow maybe? Somewhere public." He put his hand out to the side and Claire's mobile flew through the air towards him "I'll ring you later" he said after memorizing her number and returning her phone. Then he left without looking back at her.

[] [] []

Claire sat on the floor of her living room, leaning against the wall where everything had almost gone right and hugging her legs to her chest. She was crying. Her phone was to the right of her where she stared at it longingly, wishing for her love to call so she could apologise for whatever she had done and beg him to come back to her. But, he didn't ring. Instead, she received one pitiful text that read _'you should tidy up'._

She stared at her phone, desperately looking for the hidden message behind his words. Nothing. Fresh tears came forward, but these were tears of rage. She walked through her house, still not dressed, shouting profanity at the walls. The same line of thought running through her mind: _'he acted like he wanted me and then just disregarded me like a piece of meat that you take back to the store! He said he would call and instead sent me a stupid one line text that contained no emotion, no feelings, and had nothing to do with what she wanted to hear! He thinks he can tell me what to do?! Why on earth does she need to tidy up?!' _She broke down on the ground, gasping. It felt like someone had taken all the oxygen out of the air. He told her that he wouldn't hurt her, but he'd forgotten to factor in one pain that she could feel: heartbreak.

She hugged her knees to her chest once more and closed her eyes, beginning to hate the one man she had thought she loved. Awareness leaked back into her body and so did her memories, her _real _memories. Memories about her love, Gabriel. But, he wasn't Gabriel, he was Sylar.

Sylar, the man who had plagued her nightmares and life for the past 2 years, who broke into her house on several occasions in an attempt to murder her, to provoke her father, to terrorise her mother. The same man that had threatened her biological family and killed so many, including her biological mother. These memories had always been there but she pushed them back in her mind, not caring. And now, she looked down at her currently unclothed state and felt disgusted in herself. But what disgusted her even more was the fact that, even with her rage and memories returning, if Sylar were to walk through that door and kiss her... She would give into her desires.

She sighed, he said he'd call and they could meet up to talk. And, no-matter how much she tried to convince herself otherwise, she needed that conversation. She was thankful that he'd said to meet in a public place, hopefully that would stop her from tearing off his clothes... again.

Claire looked around her house and was shocked by the complete mess it was in. She reached for her phone and realised that two hours had passed since Gabri-Sylar had first appeared, her mother could be back at any moment. She grabbed her dress and through it on. And then stood for a second, not knowing where to start. Claire grabbing her fathers gun and returned it to the home-made alcove in the bottom step of her staircase. Next, she rushed to retrieve a mop and bucket to fill with a bleach/water mixture before slapping it onto the flooring in the kitchen. She had barely started to do this when the front door opened.

Her heart stopped, this wasn't her mum, this was much worse, this was her father. He walked towards her, calling her name, before he saw his surroundings. He hesitated for a split second, but it felt like a lifetime. She was overcome with a sudden need to keep Sylar safe, to make up a story. If her Mum had found her then it might have worked, but not her Dad, he'd worked in the company too long to be able to ignore his gut feeling.

Despite knowing this, her mind raced for a lie to tell him... The blood on the floor could have easily been from her slipping on the milk, maybe even the knife could have been explained as her falling on it. But the blood wasn't limited to the floor, it also covered the wall where she had been with Sylar. She supposed that she could have found a lie to cover that as well if it wasn't for the large bloody handprint, that had been left when he was holding her body against his, the handprint that was much too big to be her own. And she didn't even want to think how to explain the dried sweat marks on the coffee table.

**TO BE CONTINUED... **


	4. Chapter 4

**Sorry for the delay on this chapter, I'm trying to stick to a deadline of one a week, but my internet went off and so I was unable to upload.**

**I want to say ****_'look on the bright side, now there'll be a shorter wait for my next chapter'_****. But I can't because I've just started my count down to exams, so if all goes as planned and I actually do some revision, then the next few chapters will be posted less frequently. I'll upload them as soon as I've wrote them. Please review and enjoy.**

With much effort Sylar walked out of Claire Bennet's house. He stayed standing outside her front door for several minutes, unable to move away from her. Looking down at himself he sighed; his dark jeans were fine, but his black shirt was stained with drying blood, had a large rip where the knife had caught him and was even buttoned-up wrong. He also wasn't wearing his shoes but holding them, preferring to be able to leave while he still could.

The sound of her quiet sobs drifted through the air to him, he leaned back against the door and closed his eyes. With his enhanced hearing automatically switching on, Sylar could hear each tear slide down her cheek, everyone of them cutting him deeper than the knife ever could. He listened to her until he couldn't take the pain anymore.

He placed his shoes on the floor and re-buttoned his shirt, there was nothing he could do about the blood but he'd turned himself invisible the second he stepped outside and no-one could see him. He began to put his black shoes on when something pink caught his eye. It was inside his right shoe and he picked it up, looking at it with curiosity before a smirk crept on his face. The pink fabric was Claire's panties. He turned towards the door, his hand on the handle, but he couldn't go inside. He wouldn't be able to see her crying and not do whatever it took to make her happy again.

He pondered this for a moment before placing her underwear in his pocket and shoving his feet inside his shoes. Then, with one last look at the house he'd came from, he left, leaving behind the sound of Claire's erratic breathing and uncontrollable sobs.

[] [] []

Noah Bennet's eyes, full of anger and concern, wondered the room before they met Claire's. Then his face hardened and he turned once again into the Company man that he was. He reached for his gun and rushed towards his daughter, placing his hand on her shoulder and leaning down so their eyes were at the same level.

"What happened? Who hurt you?" His voice was composed but he spoke just a little too quickly to hide his worry.

"No-one." Claire began to lie before giving up, '_if he figured out she lied then he would be suspicious'_. So, she reluctantly decided to tell him the truth, or as close to it as she could bare to say. "... It was Sylar..." Her father's eyes turned dark "He was here, it's his blood. I stabbed him, then he left" Noah couldn't help feeling proud of his daughter, in the past she had played Company Agent, but she was his naive little girl who was simply acting out. She didn't have the instincts needed to work for the Company, he'd hoped she would never _need _ to have them. But it relieved him to think that, in a world where Sylar could be around any corner, she was able to handle herself.

"Your dress?" Claire looked down, shocked to see that it was covered in blood, her mind raced as she attempted to come up with a believable lie.

"He... He fell against me when I stabbed him". Claire resisted the urge to have a real look at herself, hoping desperately that there were no blood stains to be seen on the bare skin of her thighs where Sylar had caressed her body. Her father nodded once, apparently satisfied with her answer. He scanned the room, still holding his gun.

"I'm just going to check the rest of the house" he said before heading upstairs. Once Noah was out of sight, Claire's rushed to find her underwear, thankful that her father hadn't seen them. She found her bra behind the sofa and put it on underneath her dress but couldn't find her panties. Her heart beat was uncontrollably fast as she heard her Dad come back down the stairs.

She immediately stopped looking and hoped that he wouldn't be able to read the expression on her face. Noah carried on inspecting the rest of the house then returned to Claire in the kitchen, satisfied that they were alone. He began to talk to her while they tidied up, but she wasn't listening, her eyes still scanning for the remainder of her underwear.

[] [] []

Claire's eyes fluttered as she slept. She dreamt of a better, simpler life. She dreamt she was Claire Petrelli... That woman's problems were no where near as serious as her own. There was no incredibly attractive serial killer who had taken to terrorising her and then shown up in the middle of the night and broken her heart. There was no Sylar. Only an equally attractive, if not dorky, watchmaker named Gabriel, a man that could never hurt _anyone_, who was so thoughtful that he often took her breath away.

She dreamt of Claire Petrelli's life, loosing herself in memories that never happened.

A sharp beeping sound brought her out of her dreams. She groaned, groggily opening her eyes and blinking away the bleariness. She took her phone out from under her pillow, someone was ringing her. Claire squinted at the number that popped up on the, all too bright, screen and hated herself for recognising it. Just another thing it add to her growing list of self-loathing's.

"_What?" _She snarled down the phone, not liking being woken up.

"Good morning to you too, my love" his voice conveyed all the humour that he felt from her outburst and after hearing it, all her annoyance dissolved and her heart gave a small flutter. _'Something else to add to the list...' _ After a short pause, Sylar continued. "So... What you wearing?"

Claire held her lips together tightly, refusing to smile, even if he couldn't see her. After a few moments with no response he sighed.

"Talk to me Claire"

"I have nothing to say" she replied stubbornly. In truth she had too much to say, she didn't know where to start.

"Well, I find _that _hard to believe" Claire bit her tongue to keep her from talking, Sylar was trying to get a rise out of her but she wasn't going to make it easy for him. "I have a feeling this conversation is going to be a little one sided..." _he got that right _"Okay, fine" he sounded like he was giving up, but that wasn't right, Sylar never gave up. "You have my number, Claire. And avoidance doesn't solve anything, so, call me when you decide to talk" He waited for a short moment before he finished "See you soon, cheerleader".

The taste of blood filled Claire's mouth as she bit down harder, it wasn't until after he hung that she allowed herself to talk.

"See you soon, watchmaker". She stared down at her phone. Claire knew that she had to talk to him, the longer she waited, the less likely that he'd want to talk back... Before she thought it through, she flipped her phone open and began to text Sylar.

[] [] []

Sylar's heart was beating much faster than normal as he stood, invisibly, outside the cafe that Claire had suggested. He wasn't quite sure why he wasn't letting anyone see him but it had turned out to be a good idea. Because the second that his eyes found Claire, he couldn't stop staring at her. It was like the first day back in the alternate reality all over again.

He was lost in her eyes. He attempted to shift the lump in his throat by swallowing but it was no use. And then she walked past him towards the door, and the scent that was purely Claire drifted his way. Butterflies caused havoc to his abilities and he sensed his invisibility slip. He felt ridiculous.

_'I guess that is just what love does...'_

He strolled into the cafe and stood just behind Claire, bending down and bringing his mouth close to her ear before he whispered to her.

"Hello, cheerleader" she stayed facing forward, her only response being a slight smile and one whispered word to acknowledge his presence.

"Watchmaker" he smiled and pulled away.

"Technically, I was a _Timepiece Restorer"_

"Yeah... But that doesn't have the same ring to it" that was when Claire realised that she was flirting, she held her breath as she stepped away and slid into an empty booth, Sylar following close behind with a smirk on his face. They stared at each other for several moments without speaking until the waitress came over.

The girl was tall, blonde and young; around eighteen maybe. Her name tag read 'Debbie'. She looked at Sylar, running her eyes up and down him in approval, then she turned to Claire and stared at her with disgust. Sylar instantly hated this woman. Debbie scowled at her for a moment longer before turning to Sylar.

"What can I _do_ for you today?" She smiled at him, resting a hand on her hip and pushing her chest outwards. Claire tried to keep her expression neutral but couldn't help the strong knot of jealousy in her stomach.

Sylar looked at the waitress, she was pretty, slim, had legs that seemed to go on for miles... But she was arrogant and bitter, he could sense her hubris, her self admiration from miles away. He'd always hated that type of girl. His eyes darkened when he took in the Debbie's posture, he knew exactly what she wanted to _'do' _for him. His hunger crept up on him, pushing its way into every muscle in his body until he ached to dispose of this pitiful waste of air standing in front of him.

He saw Claire from his peripheral vision, heard her breathing. She was angry. _'Was it at him? Could she tell what he was thinking? No. She wasn't angry at him... She was angry at the girl'. _Sylar's intuitive aptitude had aloud him to work this out in a mere second and he forced down his hunger, for the time being.

"Erm... a coke please. And do you have any apple pie?" The girl smiled, placing a hand on the table in front of him and leaning on it, she flicked her hair in an obvious attempt at flirting and Sylar heard Claire grinding her teeth opposite him.

"We sure do"

"Great. I'll have a slice of that as well... with custard" The girl scribbled his order on a piece of paper and winked at him. He sighed, annoyed by the girl's constant flirting. He had to do something to make her stop. Sylar smiled pointedly at Claire.

"What abut you, _my love_?" Debbie's jaw set as she turned to glare towards Claire, who returned his smile sweetly.

"What you ordered sounds good" her eyes flicked towards their waitress and turned to ice "I'll have the same". Debbie gave Sylar one last smile before she stomped off. He shook his head.

"Pitiful" he whispered under his breath, Claire laughed. "I take it that you know her?"

"Yeah, she erm..." Claire paused and he reached across the table to touch her hand. "She was the captain of the cheerleaders at my new school. I played a bit of a prank on her last year. She wasn't happy about it".

"What kind of prank?"

"Erm, lets just say that it involved a masked flying man picking me up and dropping me to my death before chasing her off" he stared at Claire wide eyed for a moment before bursting into a laugh, she joined in.

"And Nathan went for that?"

"No, it was a friend" Sylar's eyes darkened for a moment as Claire realised that she just told him that there was an easier victim out there with an ability he was after. She mentally shook herself and pulled her hand out from under Sylar's. '_This isn't a date' _she reminded herself _'you came here to get answers'._

The blonde sat up straight and was about to start asking questions when Debbie showed up holding their drinks.

"Your pies will only be another moment" she spoke only to Sylar, but he paid her no attention, his deep eyes staring deep into Claire's. After a moment Debbie walked off and returned with two apple pies and custard. "Anything _else _I can get you?" she asked Sylar, he just shook his head. Her shoulders slumped and she span away. He heard her mumble the words _"wasn't interested in you anyway"_ as she walked off and he laughed silently at the tingle that the lie caused.

"So" Claire started, suddenly nervous "the last time I saw you, you were burning in the Primatech fire with a piece of glass in your 'off switch'. How did you survive?"

"I guess the glass melted" she nodded, accepting the answer.

"Okay. Yesterday... You showed me something. What was that?"

"You'll have to be more specific... I showed you a few things" he laughed as she glared at him. Sylar dipped his head slightly and leaned towards her "I could show you a few more things, if you'd like" his smirk grew on his lips. Claire shook her head in disbelief.

"How had I ever thought you would be serious?" she asked as she reached for her bag, fully intending to leave. Sylar raised his eyebrow.

"That _is _a good question. Surely you know me better than that" he picked up his spoon and continued to eat his pie but never took his eyes off her. She stared right back at him, "fine, I'll play _nice_... Ask away"

"What did you show me?"

"An alternate reality. Well, actually it was an alternate universe" She dropped her bag and reached for her drink, holding it between her hands while he ate his food.

"What's the difference?"

"Well, there are millions of alternate realities. They're almost exactly the same as our reality, the only differences are caused by one singular choice. However, alternate universes can be _very _different, there's no real idea as to how many of them there are and they aren't effected in any way by our choices. We apparently saw an alternate universe that is quite similar, except that our abilities didn't exist. No-one's abilities existed" She nodded, kind of understanding.

"Well... How did I see it?"

"I had the ability, I simply lent it to you "

"You can do that? Just give people abilities?"

"Apparently" his eyes lit up as he smiled at her "do you want to keep it? 'Cause, I only gave it you temporarily. I'm pretty sure I can give it you permanently" she shook her head.

"I'm still trying to deal with the ability that I have" for a moment she thought he looked disappointed. But she couldn't tell. They sat for a while in silence as they ate, but it wasn't awkward. Occasionally Debbie would walk their way and bring them more drinks and after an hour she got bored of Sylar turning her down.

"What time are they expecting you back?" He asked Claire as they stepped outside of the cafe and into the darkening evening. They started walking together towards her house.

"Not for a while. I told them that I was meeting up with a friend... Though it would probably be best to get there earlier rather than later... They're a bit worried after last night". Sylar froze and Claire stopped to see what was the matter.

"What did you tell them?" He asked, his voice was dark and reminded her of the monster that he was.

"I... erm... I didn't get all the blood cleaned up in time. So, I had to tell them that you were there..." Her heart began to beat faster as his eyes turned black, "I... I said that you showed up and I stabbed you and you left".

Sylar was angry. Claire had told her family that he was in town. Bennet would be after him. He most probably already was, he could be watching them right now... Sylar's fingers twitched with anger, with _hunger,_ and a light down the street flicked off. His eyes met those of the petite blonde in front of him and his hunger changed.

Claire wasn't sure what to do, she saw the rage in his eyes but didn't feel the need to run from him. She looked down at his hand as it grabbed her arm and pulled her towards him. Their lips were pushed together as his other arm wrapped around her back to keep her close. She gasped as their kiss broke, but neither moved away. Sylar's eyes stared into her own, but now it was lust that filled them.

She couldn't help thinking of her dream from the night before. Yes, Claire Petrelli and Gabriel Gray fit together perfectly, like two jigsaw pieces. But Sylar wasn't Gabriel. Claire's eyes traced his face.

_ 'God, you're gorgeous'. _She thought to herself. _'Attractive, but dark and dangerous. No, not like Gabriel at all'. _she pictured Gabriel's face _'sweet, sensitive Gabriel... He looked just like Sylar but so completely different. Where Sylar is darkness, he was light. He was love'. _Claire heart began to ache.

"You're not Gabriel" she whispered. His eyes looked at her, but she couldn't tell the emotions behind them as she came to her decision. "I can't be with you..." She couldn't tell, but Sylar was scared of loosing her. He knew she was right, they couldn't be together, but he wasn't going to just give in easily.

"You couldn't resist me before. What makes you think you can resist me now? Like I said yesterday... life repeats itself" he shook his head "we have a connection, you couldn't help but throw yourself at me at that party..."

"I'm not Claire Petrelli either. And she only did that to annoy Nathan" he shook his head again but realised that she wasn't lying. She continued, "He saw us - them - talking and thought they were a together. He told her to stay away from Gabriel, that he wasn't the right type of guy for her... She got angry and decided to get her own back, so she dated him. She was going to brake it off after the second date but he was too _god damn sweet_ that she couldn't hurt him... She could have resisted him easily, she just didn't want to"

"You _are _her Claire. You bake cakes when your happy. Your favourite meal is English pancakes. The reason you love cheerleading is because its consistent, it's always there and it's always the same... Is _any _of that wrong?" she stared at him, amazed.

"Well, yeah. I've actually never had an English pancake in _this_ universe" she smiled as Sylar grabbed her and pulled her in for one more kiss. Then he brought his lips to her ear and whispered to her.

"I can be that man as well, I _was_ that man before my abilities..." she leant into him, wrapping her arms around his neck and closing her eyes "we could still have that life. We could leave together, see the world, get married in Vegas -"

"- But..." Claire's eyes swung open and she pulled away from Sylar, "it _won't_ be the same" her eyes turned to ice as she stared at him "it can't _ever _be the same. Because, you _killed_ Meredith!" She took a step backwards, tears welling in her eyes. It had taken him talking about their wedding to remind her of the wedding dress, Gabriel had been so sweet and thoughtful, but Sylar was _not_ Gabriel. And her mother wouldn't be there for her like she had been because he'd _killed _her.

She started to walk away but Sylar stopped her using his telekinesis, which just made everything worse.

"Let me _go _Sylar!" she screamed. He turned her to face him and wished that he hadn't. Her eyes were daggers digging into his. Sylar dropped his arm and released her. She shook her head, how had she thought that he was different? Neither of them were the same people that they were in the other universe. Everything that Sylar had mentioned about her had been true, but it was all trivial, their personalities were completely different and she had to start acting like herself again. She took a deep breath and calmed herself "I'm going to leave now. And the next time we meet... I'm going to kill _you_".

**TO BE CONTINUED... **


End file.
